Rising Tides
by ultimatewarrior996
Summary: What if Luffy awakened his Haki before Shanks arrived? Then eats a devil fruit that isn't the Gum Gum? After witnessing Luffy's abilities first hand, Shanks and Benn decide to take him along to the Grandline to train him for five years. Watch as a smarter, stronger Luffy with the power of the Water Water fruit emerges to become the Pirate King. LuffyXRobin (possible small harem)
1. The Journey Begins

Chapter 1: The Journey Begins

Rising Tides

"Speaking"

 _'Thoughts'_

' **Attacks'**

I don't own One Piece

(Dawn island – Fuusha Village – East Blue)

"Ha that didn't hurt at all!" the voice of a child shouted.

"Be quiet you were crying the whole time…" came the reply of a man who seemed laid back.

"Was not!" the child's voice shot back.

"Was too."

"Was not!"

"Was too."

The immature duo having this argument were that of a small seven year old boy who had black messy hair, blue jean shorts and a shirt which read 'anchor'. Next to him sat and older man with red hair, and a straw hat on his head. These two individuals are Monkey D. Luffy and 'Red Haired' Shanks.

They were sitting in Party's Bar along with Shanks's crew the Red Haired pirates. By now the whole bar was focused solely on those two, and they found their antics quite amusing.

"Was not!"

"Was too," they continued their back and forth.

"You'd think being a captain he would be more mature…" Benn Beckman, Shanks first mate, stated with a slight deadpan.

"This is quite amusing to watch though," the crew's Sniper, Yasopp, said.

"Mmhmm," Lucky agreed while taking a bite from the meat in his hand.

"KNOCK IT OFF," Makino, the bar tender, shouted angrily. She grabbed a pan, and proceeded to hit both Luffy and Shanks over the head with it.

"owww…" both Shanks and Luffy quietly mumbled while rubbing the impacted area on their heads. The whole scene caused everyone in the bar to burst into a fit of laughter.

"STOP LAUGHING!" both Luffy and Shanks shouted. This only increased the laughter from the pirates.

Eventually the laughter died down and the crew returned to their usual din of talking, laughing, and drinking.

"Why not Shanks?" Luffy cried out with a pout.

"Well for starters you're still too young, not to mention you can't swim anchor," Shanks replied, using the nickname Luffy hated most.

"Humph," the child crossed his arms and turned away, eyes closed and his nose in the air. Deciding to get even a mischievous grin crossed his features. "Tomato hair…" Luffy said with a wide grin.

"Huh? What did you call me?" Shakes asked turning to Luffy. Wanting to make sure he heard right.

"I called you tomato hair or are you going deaf in your old age?" Luffy chuckled with a more smug grin.

"Bwhahahahahahah" the crew, while listening in, the boys comment to their captain causing a renewed bout of laughter.

"Hahahahahahahaha…Tomato hair never heard that one before, and to top that a seven year old said it hahahahah!" Benn exclaimed through his laughter. After hearing the first mate the crew began to laugh harder.

"SHUT UP," Shanks shouted, sounding no older than Luffy. The Red Haired pirate captain then moved to a corner while grumbling about 'anchors that can't swim'. All the while Luffy was snickering, even Makino joined in this time.

"Heheheheh, I'm going tell this to the village!" and with that Luffy ran out of the bar shouting things about Tomato haired pirates

"Ugh," sinking further into his seat, "I'm never going to live this down am I?" Shanks asked no one in particular.

"NOPE" his whole crew replied before bursting into laughter once more.

"There, There Captain…" Makino said while trying to comfort Shanks by patting him on the head lightly "If it's any use I like the colour of your hair, I think it's very nice…" then realization broke in causing both Makino and Shanks to blush due to her actions.

During their little moment, the door to the bar was smashed open and ruining it as a group of mountain bandits walked in.

"So these are the pathetic pirates that docked here" the bandit in front scoffed. The bandit wore a paste white V-neck shirt, black pants and a long maroon coat. He had a sword strapped to his right hip and an orange beaded necklace around his neck.

"Wench" the bandit continued while looking at the bar, or more specifically Makino. "Me and my men would like 5 barrels of sake. Give them to us and we won't destroy the place."

"Sorry I'm all out of sake," Makino replied with her eyes fixed upon the Bandits leader.

"Then what are these pirates drinking? Water?" questioned the Bandit

Seeing the distress in Makino's eyes Shanks stepped in, "Sorry, looks like my crew and I drank all the booze." He then grabbed an unopened bottle and held it up to the Bandit. "Here you can have this, it hasn't even been opened."

The bandit, now enraged, smashed the bottle with his sword. In doing so he sent glass everywhere and spilled sake all over Shanks soaking him and the bar. The bandit then proceeded to swipe his sword along the counter scattering empty bottles, glasses and plates across the floor. "See this?" The bandit asked, holding his wanted poster up. 'WANTED – DEAD OR ALIVE – HIGUMA THE BEAR – 8,000,000 beri. "I'm a wanted man, I'm not gonna waste my time on a bunch of weaklings like you." An arrogant smirk plastered on his face. "Later losers" he said walking out of the bar his troupe following while laughing on their way out.

Silence followed for and few seconds before the whole bar exploded in laughter again. You'd think some would be passed out by now with the amount of laughing these guys did.

When the laughter died down they realized that Luffy had joined them again and was sitting next to Shanks. He had just finished swallowing something and shuddered in what was obviously distaste. "What was that all about?" he questioned Shanks after his shivering episode stopped.

"Oh just some bandits that wanted to pick a fight." Shanks replied nonchalantly after containing his laughter and regaining his breath.

"Ah, did you win?" he questioned once more

"No we didn't bother they were too weak to put up a fight so there was no point. I have always found that you shouldn't fight every battle for the heck of it. There are some fights that there is no point in." the pirate captain stated in a moment of sagely wisdom.

"I guess I understand." Luffy said nodding his head. He may only be seven, but he could see where Shanks was coming from.

"CAPTAIN!" Benn shouted for Shanks.

"Hmm?" he lazily turned to his first mate.

"The devil fruit...it's gone!" he claimed holding up an empty treasure chest.

The entire bar froze as if time itself stopped to take in this news.

"WHAT!" The whole bar shouted as one. Then, as if a bomb was about to go off, they started running around frantically looking for it.

"The Water Water fruit is MISSING!?" Shanks yelled as loud as he could. Quickly he turned to Luffy who was looking around in confusion before looking at Shanks when he turned to him. Shanks tried to grab Luffy on shoulder to ask him if he saw the fruit. Keyword here being 'tried' as his hands went straight through him. Somehow the whole crew saw this and skidded to a halt as time seemed to stop once more in the space of thirty seconds.

"UH OH," They thought as one.

"Luffy did you eat a strangely shaped blue fruit from a chest when you came back in?" Captain Shanks fired off the question.

Luffy scrunched his face up in concentration trying to remember the past few minutes. Then he nodded once. Then caused Shanks to face palm so hard it could probably be heard at Marineford.

"LUFFY YOU DUMBASS! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST ATE!?" Shanks shouted making most of his crew cringe and shrink away from their Captain.

"No? WAS IT POISENED?!" He shouted in return and started to panic.

"No it wasn't poisoned. It was what we call a devil fruit. A fruit that gives its consumer powers based on the fruit. In return it takes away their ability to swim, and you just ate the Water Water Fruit. It gives you the ability to create, Control and become Water." Shanks explained staring at Luffy with an impassive face.

"COOL!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs. Eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Does this mean I can come with you now?" a now excited sever year old Luffy asked almost jumping out of his seat.

Shanks regarded his question seriously this time weighing the pros and cons. Then he thought of a way to resolve the issue, "Alright then Luffy," making said boy perk up "You can come IF you can hit me off my seat with one of your super punches or whatever you call them." Shanks said to the seven year old not knowing what he just signed himself up for.

"ALRIGHT I'LL USE MY SUPER AWESOME PISTOL PUNCH AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO TAKE ME ON YOUR NEXT JOURNEY!" Luffy shouted in excitement before prepping himself.

He closed his eyes in what seemed like concentration. His fist shining an obsidian black, which shocked the crew immensely. Then Luffy's eyes snapped open and he launched his fist forward at blinding speeds that made even Shanks eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.

The next thing Shanks felt was Luffy's fist lodged into his stomach. The force behind the punch sent the captain flying across the room. To say the crew was shocked would be an understatement. A seven year old had just used armament haki, and proceeded to hit their Captain into the wall on the other side of the room. Their Jaws dropped through the floor, and their eyes almost seemed to pop out. They hadn't expected this to happen.

Climbing out of the wall with a slight cough, Shanks asked, "Luffy…H…How did you do that?" With a hand on the wall, and his other hand on his stomach and his eyes slightly bulged after the initial shock. "How do you know Haki?"

"Oh so that's what it is," he started, "I've been able to do that now for just under 6 months, it was during one of Gramps' 'training sessions'." Luffy stated.

"What kind of training sessions?" the stunned captain questioned.

"Oh, he just booted me into a forest." He answered nonchalantly.

-Flashback-

 _"Stupid Gramps, throwing me in a forest. Training sessions my ass," Luffy mumbled to himself._

 _Walking along a trail he had found, he was trying to find a way out of the infernal forest._

 _He stopped mid step, after hearing what sounded like several growls. As he slowly turned around he was met with the sight of eleven wolves. They began walking up towards him, with teeth bared. He noticed they looked hungry._

 _Slowly Luffy took a step backwards, and then another. That didn't stop the wolves in their advance however. Opting for a second plan he bolted._

 _Luffy ran through the forest screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs while his eleven pursuers gave chase mercilessly. As he ran along the trail, Luffy decided on a quick change of course. He thought he might lose them in the undergrowth. While Luffy ran he brushed away leafs and stray branches, while simultaneously jumping and sliding under tree trunks._

 _Not long after excessive use of his energy, did he begin to wear down and become sluggish. As the minutes passed, while still moving to find safety, he tripped over a fallen tree._

 _At that moment the wolves appeared, all eleven circled around him, not once losing track of their prey. Self preservation kicked in as Luffy started to back away, he was however stopped by a stone wall at his back._

 _Now face to face with the pack that surrounded him, one wolf lunged at him. Most likely the alpha with it's mouth open and teeth shining in the dark. Luffy held his arm up in an attempt to defend himself unconsciously channelling haki to his arm. He had his eyes tightly closed awaiting the pain._

 _When he didn't feel any pain, he slowly opened his eyes. What he saw shocked him. He seen the alpha hanging from his arm which was now black._

 _Luffy was confused as hell, as he shook the wolf off it flew into a tree. As the wolf hit the tree it howled in pain before falling unconscious to the ground._

 _The other wolves, in rage witnessing their leader's downfall, attacked as one. This time Luffy did something different. He channelled haki to his mind and shouted "BACK OF YOU FAT DOGS!" The wolves froze mid attack and slowly backed down. In fear of a greater predator, they tucked their tails and ran away leaving their leader behind to his fate._

 _Worn out from using haki twice for the first time in the span of a minute, he fell to unconsciousness. The next morning he was found face first in the dirt by his grandpa._

-Flashback End-

"And that's what happened." the seven year old stated as half of his idol's crew had passed out from shock. The others, after picking their jaws up from the floor, were trying to dig their jaws up for a second time.

"So you're telling me that you used two different types of haki in one minute...defending yourself from some wolves?" Shanks asked with wide eyes.

"YUP," Luffy replied joyously with a broad smile.

"Huh," Shanks mumbled before turning to the bartender, "Hey Makino who is anchors grandfather?" Makino's eyes were equally wide after listening to what Luffy went through. She wondered if it traumatized him, but he looked to be fine.

"Hm?" Makino asked as she finally snapped out her shock. Shanks repeated the question as he had her full attention. "Oh it's Monkey D. Garp," she informed with an amused smile as the other rest of the Red Haired pirates passed out.

"Ah ok just ch- WHAT!" Shanks yelled as his mind caught up to his mouth. To say the revelation was shocking didn't describe what the pirate captain felt.

"This means I can come with you guys now right?" Luffy asked with his head tilted to the side.

Shanks looked over to his first mate Benn who had recovered by now and caught his glance. Having a whole conversation in the span of a second Benn nodded in agreement to Shanks. "Alright Luffy we'll take you with us. We'll train you for five years and then drop you back off here in Fuusha Village. At that time we should be able to leave you with some money, supplies and books. You can build your own ship and gather your own crew. That sound good to you?"

"YES, YES, YES," Luffy yelled excitedly practically bouncing of the walls.

Shanks smirked, "Alright we're leaving at the end of the week, so get ready for a five year long trip to the grand line!" The crew plus Luffy all cheered loudly for the coming adventures, as they partied the night away.

 **A/N: adopted from Reddevel360**


	2. Luffy Returns! He has Brothers?

Chapter 2: Luffy Returns! He has Brothers!?

Rising Tides

"Speaking"

 _'Thoughts'_

 **'Attacks'**

I don't own One Piece :(

Five years had passed since Luffy set sail with the Red Haired pirates. Today however was the day he returned to his village after his trip to the Grandline.

Luffy and Shanks could be seen on the docks. They were talking about something, as the crew was restocking supplies.

"Before I forget Luffy, what do you plan on doing for the next five years? I mean you can't set sail until you're seventeen right?" (Luffy is currently 12) Shanks asked while glancing at Luffy who stood to his right.

The preteen in question hadn't changed much in his appearance. The most noticeable thing was the clothes he wore and he stood a foot taller than when he set off. He now wore a simple red T and a pair of blue shorts with sandals. Also his black hair was even more unruly.

"I'm going to use the supplies you guys gave me to build my own ship and the books you gave to improve my skills. While also continuing to train my devil fruit and haki control" He answered Shanks.

"What about the crew to man the ship?" the curious captain questioned.

"Do you remember the slaves I somehow managed to free a year ago?" He asked, only receiving a nod. Both remembering that nightmare. "They asked about my dream before they left and when I told them they decided to join me on my quest to complete it. I met with them before we left and told them to meet me in Lougetown in five years from now. In the meantime I recommended they train from marksmanship and firing cannons to swordsmanship so they're ready for the Grandline."

Nodding in acceptance of the answer he said good-bye to Luffy and turned to leave. That was until Makino appeared. Luffy seeing this smirked and shook Shanks hand, then walked off around a corner.

Makino walked up to Shanks and put a hand on his cheek. "Be careful out there Shanks." she smiled softly and decides to be more daring. She leaned forward on her toes and planted a small kiss on his lips. It was then she realized something. Pointing at Shanks arm, or lack of, she asked, "What happened?"

Shanks smiling back at her placed a kiss on her forehead before replying, "A little accident in the Grandline a year ago, don't worry about it. And don't worry I'll be safe, I promise." Shanks said while looking down at Makino with his smile still present.

She accepted the answer, partially. Then a sudden thought occurred to her as she asked, "Can I come with you?"

"Sorry Makino, it would be too dangerous. Plus I would worry about you too much." he stated gently raising his remaining arm and placing the hand on her shoulder.

"Why not? You took Luffy with you." Makino argued, still a little persistent.

"Luffy had his Logia power to help him, but he still got in a lot of trouble," he replied calmly as his mind played back the events from a year ago.

Makino, begrudgingly, nodded with a depressed look clearly written on her features. Then without warning she lunged at him pulling him into a tight hug. Shanks just smiled, albeit a bit sadly, and returned the hug.

Luffy, who had returned at that moment, quietly waited so he could ask Shanks a question. Still not one to idly stand by, he pulled out a camera snail, and silently took a picture of the two.

Separating from the hug, they kissed once more. With that Makino went back to the bar with a genuine smile on her face.

Once she was out of hearing range, Luffy walked up to Shanks and quietly stood beside him. The captains gaze was still on Makino as she disappeared into the distance.

Elbowing Shanks in the side to grab his attention. In a deathly calm tone he stated, "Shanks...if you hurt her, I will kick your ass. Then I'll leave whatever's left of you to Makino.

Shanks, with a nervous sweat, actually felt threatened by the twelve year old. He just smiled fearfully and nodded frantically in understanding. As he was about to turn around and walk away, he suddenly realised he didn't know what Luffy's dream was. "Luffy one more thing."

"Hm?" the preteen looked at him curiously.

"You never did tell me what your dream was. So you feel like sharing?" the Red Haired pirate inquired.

With a wide grin, Luffy said. "My dream is to surpass all pirates and become the PIRATE KING!" He yelled out the last two words before continuing, "That means I have to become better that you!" He grinned mischievously sticking his tongue out. A look Shanks didn't like.

Smiling, Shanks took his straw hat off and placed it on Luffy's unexpecting head. "Is that so?" he questioned with his smile growing wider, he continued, "Better keep this safe for me then ne?"

The captain took a step back. He felt proud, and not just with himself. He was proud at the fact he had trained such a good apprentice. Looking down he saw Luffy's shocked facial expression.

Kneeling down so they were eye to eye, "See you at the top Luffy." Shanks said with a final pat on the kids shoulder. The captain then turned and walked back to his ship. They Red Haired pirates then set sail, leaving the shores of Fuusha Village.

(Fuusha Village - an hour later)

Luffy, after walking around to reacquaint himself with the village, arrived at Party's bar. The sun was just beginning to set, casting an orange and red glow across the sky.

Walking in he sat at the bar and started to talk with Makino. After awhile Luffy, with a devious smile, brought up something he remembered, "So you and Shanks huh?"

At the reminder Makino went beet red. She began to stutter out denials. She went dead silent after Luffy had pulled out the picture he'd taken earlier. Realising it was pointless to argue, considering the evidence.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone if that's what you worried about." he tried to reassure, but the look of embarrassment on Makino's face spoke volumes. Rolling his eyes he said, "Here," while handing her the picture, "You can keep it. It's technically yours anyway."

Looking at Makino he could see the signs written all over her face. She deeply missed Shanks already. Every time she looked at the picture it flashed across her face.

Coming to a decision he looked her in the eyes and asked, "Do you want to see him again?" Makino instantly began nodding her head furiously. Luffy was surprised her head didn't fly off, considering how quick her head was moving. "Then would you like to come with me? There's a chance we could run into him on the Grandline, plus we might need a mother figure on the ship to break up fights." he offered, while internally grinning like a madman.

"But I don't know how to fight and I don't exactly like hurting others either." She replied

"Even if it was a blood thirsty pirate who wants to chop your pretty little head off?" he asked, even though he'd protect her regardless.

Opening her mouth to counter and continue the argument, she stopped when she realized he had put forward a better argument than she first realized. "But that still doesn't stop the fact that I don't know how to fight."

Responding with a smile,he said, "That's ok, Shanks said he left some books with the supplies. You can always read those and learn, or I can teach the basics if you prefer. And for the not hurting anybody part you can always be part of the ship guard."

Nodding to herself she agreed. "That sound alright…Captain…" she said with a devious smirk plastered on her face.

Laughing he countered, "I am no Captain without a ship."

After laughing along with him they continued to talk about random things, with Makino filling him in on most of what had happened in the village while he was away.

After a while two boys walked into the bar and sat on stools next to Luffy. Turing his head he saw that one boy had a top hat with blond hair and the other had scraggly black hair that hung off his head.

"Hello Ace, Hello Sabo how are you guys today?" Makino asked with a kind smile.

"We're fine Makino" They replied in unison.

"How are you today?" The newly identified Sabo asked.

"Why I'm perfectly fine today Sabo, thanks for asking." She replied in a cheerful tone. Her mind going back to a certain moment.

"That good" Sabo smiled. Then he noticed Luffy was looking at them. "Who are you?" Sabo politely asked.

"huh?" he questioned while pointing at himself. Receiving a nod from the other two boys he answered, "Monkey D. Luffy at your service." smiling broadly he extended his hand to greet them.

"Hi I'm Sabo and this is Ace," the blonde said while pointing to himself and Ace respectively.

"Wait! Did you say Monkey D?" Ace asked

"Yeah? That my name?" Luffy replied, utterly confused.

"What relation do you have with Garp?" Ace practically shouted.

"He's my Gramps?" Luffy answered, still confused with the line of questioning.

"Then we're practically brothers!" Ace shouted in a mix of emotions.

"EH?!" Luffy, not so intelligently, shouted back.

"Yeah Garp adopted me for some reason." Ace answered with a shrug.

"Huh." Was Luffy only reply. He didn't understand his grandpa sometimes

"If you're his grandson why haven't we seen you on the island before?" Sabo questioned

"Oh I was trained by 'Red Haired' Shanks for the past five years." He stated nonchalantly, not really expecting much of a reaction.

"Ah o- WHAT!" both Ace and Sabo yelled in shock. They received a nod from both Luffy and Makino, who was listening on the conversation in clear amusement.

"What did he teach you?" Sabo asked in awe of his new 'Brother'.

"I have to admit I'm interested as well." Makino chimed in.

Luffy, for the next couple of hours, had proceeded to tell the trio about his trip to the Grandline. What he was trained in, which included: Control on all three types of haki, which he quickly launched into a quick explanation about.

Swordsmanship, control over his devil fruit powers, which for some reason was very hard to accomplish and was still having trouble with. He talked about his Marksmanship, and eating habits so he didn't eat the ships food supply but still had his moments. The most notable things that happened in the five years was meeting his dad, Monkey D. Dragon, (SPOILER, if you hadn't read or watched that far!) who persuaded him to declare war on the World Government when he was ready.

He then started talking about his duel with Mihawk, or as Luffy dubbed him Hawkey, and gaining a rather large scar from his left shoulder across his chest to his hip. Plus somehow getting addicted to rum. (How? No one knew as it was under aged drinking, pirates follow some rules you know…).

Amazed at the tales of Luffy's adventures, Makino responded with a, "Huh," and thoughtful expression. Ace and Sabo though had stars in their eyes shouting "WOW!" while wishing their adventures would be just as awesome.

Looking outside Luffy noted that the sky had gotten darker, meaning night had fallen. He excused himself only after promising to meet up his new brothers the next day. With a wave good bye to the three, Luffy left the bar to the clearing Shanks put all the supplies that he'd need before the captain left.

When he arrived he noticed the area was surprisingly well lit. Looking around Luffy seen tons of crates, barrels, chests and all sorts of other containers piled in the relatively large clearing. 'That is a lot of stuff…I thought he was exaggerating…' He thought to himself.

After spending a good amount of time going through the containers, he made a list of the supplies and how much of it was there. He had also found roughly 500 million beli, enough adam wood to build the Moby dick twice over, a forge of sorts, books on carpentry and other things to keep his skills up. Top quality weapons which included swords, pistols, and the occasional rife for when longer range is needed.

There were navigational charts of the East Blue, a log pose for when he got to the Grandline, and an eternal pose for Shanks base island if he ever needed him. There was enough cloth to make sails and hammocks out of, and finally paint.

Stepping back to gaze around the clearing he finally noticed a package on the ground wrapped in brown cloth. There was a letter addressed to him on top of the pack.

Deciding to open the letter, before the package, he read it quietly, 'I hope you like these Luffy, they are named blades we found in the New World a while back. The crew and I agreed to give these to you for your efforts during training and 'that' so I hope you like 'em.'

After finishing the letter he opened the package, to gape as he seen two beautifully crafted Daito's (Like Wado Ichimonji).

The first blade had a sea blue sheath with a wave like design as well as the handle. Pulling the blade out slowly, he noted it was a magnificent black which seemed to reflect the sun more than glass would. This was 'Tsunami no demon'.

The second blade was an ominous blood red. Taking this blade out he saw it was a white that could rival the purest of pearls. This was 'Choseki Ikari'.

Returning both blades to their proper sheaths he proceeded to organise all of the supplies he was left. He made a mental note to repay Shanks when he could.

After he set up an area he could rest in, he took some time to admire his swords, then went into the forest to train and adjust to their weight and feel. He also tried to combine his DF powers with them like he would haki. That was a bad idea as it proved to be very destructive.

On the way back to his camp he caught dinner, which he cooked before eating it. Around midnight was when he finally succumbed to the overwhelming urge to rest peacefully under the stars.

(1 year later)

Over the course of the year, Luffy began to build his ship. However his focus was divided between his ship, training and his brother. Even taking time to spar with Sabo and Ace, when he offered training they refused in favor of getting stronger on their own.

Luffy was proud of the progress on his ship, and thankful for the help he received. The ship's shell and lowest deck had been completed. Six months after he had started the village had caught wind of it. The town had gathered all that was willing to help him build it.

Makino, Ace and Sabo were the exceptions as they found out just days after he started. Satisfied with the progress in just a years time, everyone opted for a break as Luffy wouldn't be leaving for another four years.

Makino had started training in self defense under Luffy's tutelage. She was grateful that he was willing to train her, and was progressing rather well.

Despite only being thirteen, Luffy was becoming even more of a monster. This only spurred Ace and Sabo to train longer and harder hours.

We currently find the trio sitting in Party's bar celebrating their one year anniversary of becoming brothers. They were reminiscing about the day they made it official, by drinking a cup of sake. As they continued to celebrate, they began to exchange gifts to commemorate the moment.

First was Luffy, he was originally going to sell them but decided to give them to Ace and Sabo instead. What he gave them shocked the two to the bone. He got them devil fruits.

Ace got the Flame Flame Fruit while Sabo got the Wind Wind Fruit. Both brothers, in a moment of excitement and happiness, pounced on Luffy hugging and thanking him profusely. Then they realized Luffy needed air to live and let him go.

Luffy wasn't expecting this to happen to him, he didn't have time to activate his DF so they would pass through him in time.

After that Luffy received his gifts. Ace got him a sea blue sash, (Imagine the yellow one he wore after the time skip but blue). Then came Sabo who gave him a large coat. It was a vibrant red with gold trimmings. He got it a few sizes to big purposely, so he could wear it when he set off in 4 years.

Ace gave Sabo a coat like Luffy's, except this was blue with black trimmings. The final gift was from Sabo to Ace,who received an orange cowboy hat which he seemed to adore the moment he saw it.

After the gift exchange the brothers ate and talked everything they could think of for hours on end. Ace and Sabo being three years older than Luffy, they tild him they'd be leaving in a year when they both turned seventeen. The two older teens were going to set off to sea then.

Although unhappy with the short amount of time they'd have left to spend together, Luffy accepted that they wanted to follow their own dreams and start their own journeys.

Taking a look outside, he noticed night had fallen during the celebration. Seeing as it was quite late into the night now. Luffy said goodnight to his brothers and returned to his clearing, dubbed by the village as 'Luffy's area.'

A/N: a little fact about myself. For each chapter my goal is to reach 2500 words. However anything over I am more than glad to have passed my "words per chapter" goal.

Moving on I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter, and I will update the story ASAP.

Thank you for reading

Translations:

Tsunami no demon: Demon of the Tsunami

Choseki Ikari: Tidal Wrath

Daito: Long sword


	3. A Visitor? Brothers Setting Sail!

Chapter 3: A Visiting Marine and Brothers Set Sail

Rising Tides

"Speaking"

 _'Thoughts'_

 **Attacks**

(7 month later)

If one were to look, they'd find Luffy meditating in the middle of the clearing that people called 'his area'. He was training his observation haki, pushing it to the max. Then he felt a presence enter the edge of his sensory range.

He could tell it was Makino, and as she walked closer, he opened an eye. He looked at her questioningly wondering what she needed.

"Hey Luffy, can you help me with something?" She asked as soon as she seen the look he was giving her.

"Sure, what do you need?" He questioned as he stood from his seated position. She just motioned for him to follow. Shrugging as if it was no big deal, they began to walk out of the clearing and towards the village.

When they got to the edge of town, Luffy could hear a commotion. His questioning look returned. Makino, after shaking her head, merely pointed to the problem with closed eyes. His eyes followed the direction she was pointing to, and what he seen, he couldn't help but find the humor in the scene.

"Huh," he remarked.

As Luffy, Makino and a few other curious villagers were gazing upon caused a bit of concern, or in Luffy's case both amusement and concern.

Ace was running around in panic. He was shouting things that would have made even the bravest of souls back away. Sabo on the other hand was sitting on the ground with his legs tucked under his chin. He rocked back and forth, quietly muttering to himself. You could seen an obvious shiver run through him every now and again.

Deciding he wanted answers, Luffy stepped forward and gently placed his hands on Sabo's shoulders. He seemed to be in a slightly better mindset then Ace, so Luffy hauled the blonde to his feet.

Looking Sabo right in the eyes the youngest asked, "What's going on?"

Sabo only mumbled something completely incoherent as a reply. After a puzzling moment, the young teen asked, "Huh?"

"G…g….p," this caused Luffy to freeze. As only one thing, or person, began with G and ended with P that would make them act like they were.

Luffy, after piecing things together, dropped Sabo who immediately went back to rocking. He then joined Ace in running around shouting things that he shouldn't know, let alone run around shouting about.

"Well...he was no help," Makino muttered to herself with a deadpan expression. She continued to watched as the three were having mental breakdowns. She did have to admit it was quite amusing to watch though.

Stopping mid step from his panic attack, Luffy stood still as if remembering something. This caused his brothers to stop their own panic. Both turning to face him, they noticed his eyes started to bulge, and he began sweating profusely.

"AHHHH, WE NEED TO HIDE EVERYTHING!" Luffy shouted grabbing his head. Both Ace and Sabo looked at each other confused. That was until realization dawned on them. If HE found out about the ship, the consequences would be dire.

Gathering what little wit they had left, the three bolted for the forest. They didn't have a moment to spare, unless the wanted to face the wrath of Garp.

Their sudden change in behavior though stunned the villagers. Murmurs of 'What do they need to hide?' and 'Why?' There was only one who had a knowing look, and that was Makino.

After rushing to the clearing, and hiding everything did they calm down slightly. Taking a few minutes to catch their breath, they looked at each other before talking about the issue at hand.

The first to break the silence was the youngest. Luffy had turned to Ace then Sabo. With his gaze on the latter he asked, "Sabo when is he arriving?"

Taking a deep, and shaky breath, he looked towards the sky. "Before the sun sets, so around six hours from now." He replied

"Okay, so we have six hours to make sure we don't blow a gasket." Luffy stated with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

With those words the three took in a more steady breath. As the three looked at each other they nodded in an unspoken agreement. They turned and began walking to Party's bar to relax a bit before Monkey D. Garp arrived.

While walking, Luffy's thoughts wandered to his inevitable reunion with his gramps. What would he say about disappearing five years ago without a word or note. Releasing a sigh, he shook his head to clear it.

(Six hours later)

As the time passed the trio regained their composure, for the most part. They decided that with a few minutes left they'd go wait at the docks, which is where we find them now.

The three brothers stood side by side. Each awaiting the the Marines ship, with hints of nervousness on their features. As the ship drew closer to the port, the silence was broken.

"I wonder how he's gonna react when he sees me…" Luffy wondered, trailing off a bit at the end.

Ace and Sabo glanced at him for a moment. For their own health and safety, they took a couple steps away from him. "You're on your own" they said simultaneously.

"Cheers," He replied sarcastically, while mumbling about 'no good brothers leaving you to the sharks.'

Before the ship could even dock, Garp had leapt off and landed on the dock. Slowly and purposefully he walked towards his grandson, Luffy. As he reached him, he looked him over for a few moment. He then raised his fist, only to quickly bring it down on the top of the boys head.

"OW! What was that for?" He asked as he rubbed the sore spot on the top of his head.

"For being reckless and making your old gramps worry," Garp stated in a tone of seriousness not usually heard from him. All the while he was mumbling about 'Damn brats, trying to give an old man a heart attack.'

Luffy shocking not only himself, but all those watching, when he suddenly hugged Garp a rare moment of affection. Getting over his own initial shock, the Marine Vice-Admiral smiled and slowly returned the hug.

Leaning down, the old man quietly whispered, "I missed you brat." It wasn't long before Ace and Sabo, seeing the two as family, joined in on the hug as well.

After the small family moment, the teens and Vice-Admiral retreated to the bar. The four laughing along the way as they made small talk.

When the group reached the bar they sat down and ordered some food. They took this time to catch up. However Garp wanted answers so he turned to his grandson. Looking him dead in the eyes he asked the question that has been on his mind, "So are you going to tell me where you've been for the past five years Luffy?"

Taking a moment to weigh his options, Luffy decided it'd be best to answer truthfully. Taking a deep breath and grinning widely he said, "Your favorite pirate agreed to take me on a five year trip to the Grandline. Also while I was there he trained me!" Luffy figured it was for the best if he left out the part where he punched Shanks across the bar.

Garp was both furious and shocked, but he was still an old man. Before he could do anything he passed out due to the shock that his previously seven year old grandson had been to the Grandline, with a 'filthy pirate' no less. The trio just burst out laughing at Garp's expense.

After Garp woke up from his 'nap' and walking to the forest, he chewed Luffy up and spat him out again. He began to lecture him for going on a trip with, I say again 'filthy pirates'. The whole time they were walking into the forest.

After hunting down some food, as the four were still hungry, we find the rather odd family around a fire. They were talking while eating from a rather large pile of meat around them. The boys had asked Garp to tell them a story, and he did leaving them in awe.

When night fell the family of four was exhausted. With no time to find a comfortable spot, they fell backwards passed out on the forest floor. Anything within half a mile could hear them snoring away like no tomorrow. (Who said Luffy worked on his sleeping habits?)

After Garp decided to tor- ahem - train his grandchildren, while also demonstrating and teaching them the Six Powers. He still wanted them to be Marines after all.

While they welcomed the extra training they all silently agreed Garp went a bit overboard.

(Two weeks later)

After two long weeks of training, or as Ace, Sabo and Luffy referred to it as being hell. Looking on the bright side however, they learned the six powers.

They were proficient with most of the six powers, for starters with the abilities. However, Paper Art wasn't one of them, at least not for Ace and Sabo. Luffy had an easier time with it thanks to observation haki, and his seemingly relaxed attitude. The one thing the trio agreed upon was to not use the Finger Pistol, due to it being a last resort.

Today though, Garp had returned to his ship and set sail for Marine HQ. The Vice-Admiral, in his own way, said his goodbyes. While the trio was glad that didn't have to continue the extreme training regimen, they were a bit sad at the same time.

Even though they would eventually be enemies, they were above all else. That was something they would never forget.

After their gramps left, the trio could be found in a forest clearing. Luffy was helping his brothers train and understand their fruits. Not neglecting his own training, he grabbed his swords and began to work on his own style that he liked to called 'Water Strike.'

After finishing a set of katas, he glanced over at Ace and Sabo to see how they were fairing. Both seemed like they were working on perfecting their logias, but were far from it as they were still working on the basics. Nodding at their progress he moved onto the next set of katas and worked on using them flawlessly. He was progressing as well as he hoped.

(Five months later)

Ace and Sabo were now seventeen, and ready to go on their own adventures. As the two stood on the docks, Luffy and the entire village were standing opposite of them. You could see the excitement on Ace and Sabo's faces, if their smiles were any indication.

Luffy, on the other hand, had a visibly downcast expression plastering his features. Over the year that Luffy had known his brothers, he had grown amazingly close to them. It was hard for him to let go, but he knew he had to.

While the villagers said their good byes, Luffy waited near the back. After all the villager had spoke their peace, they moved aside. The villagers practically created a straight path for Luffy.

Knowing what he had to do, he walked up to his brothers and pulled them into a tight hug. Both Ace and Sabo returned the gesture with just as much strength as Luffy was using.

Pulling out of the hug, the youngest looked them in the eyes. Wiping his eyes as his smile returned he quietly said to them, "Be safe. I'll see you on the Grandline."

Smiling, they promised the fourteen year old that they'd see each other again. With that the two boarded the small ship Luffy had built for them. It was a going away gift, something they could start their journey on. As they set sail, Ace and Sabo turned to the villagers and waved as they sailed out of sight.

Luffy stood on the docks until his brother and the ship were out of view. When he could no longer see them, he turned and began to walk back to the clearing. As the young teen walked through the village, Makino fell in step behind him.

After trekking down the path, they arrived at the clearing which held a half finished ship. There were crates and barrels strewn around the open area.

With three years left to finish it, he smirked and turned to Makino. With confidence that they could finish it by then he said, "We have a lot of work to do."

The woman just smiled in response, as the two of them started working towards completing the ship.

A/N: I changed Luffy's sword style name because I remember a video I seen of Bruce Lee.

"If you pour water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. If you pour water into a cup, it becomes the cup. Water can be calm or it can crash. Be water my friends."

Now I'm not sure if that's a word for word quote towards the end, but that's why I changed it.

 **Reviews:**

 **VoyagersUnite** : thank you for the support, I'll work on getting chapters out ASAP. As for waiting period I'll try to have a new chapter up within a week from the last update.

 **Guest** : if you read the original authors summary very carefully it reads as follows, "What if Luffy accessed his Haki before Shanks arrived and ate a different fruit then the Gomu Gomu no Mi and Shanks and Benn decided to take him along to the Grandline to train him for 5 years? Watch a smarter, stronger Luffy with the power of the Mizu Mizu no Mi emerges to become the Pirate King. **'** **Luffy x Robin Possible Luffy x Robin x Boa'** Other side pairings. -Adopted-" I just kept the same concept for pairing, while also thinking about future side pairings. Now I by no meant this to be rude. The matter of couples is also subject to change, so just bare with me and be patient please.

 **deltadragon373** : I understand your sentiments highly, and I acknowledge your review. If you'd like to know how I'm going to work this story, then please continue to follow and read the story. Also thank you for taking the time to vent your thoughts.


	4. Prelude to Misfortune

Chapter 4: Prelude to Misfortune

Rising Tides

"Talking"

'Thinking'

 **Attacks**

I don't own One Piece

(4 years later)

Over the course of four years, Luffy had gradually changed. He was now seventeen and stood just half an inch under six foot tall. His training was going extremely well, and his body could prove that. His muscles were more defined, giving him the appearance of a seasoned athelete that focuses more on speed with just the right amount of muscle mass. (Picture Randy Orton)

He now donned a simple red sleeveless t-shirt and shorts with fur like cuffs at the ends. On his back sat the straw had his idol had given him, that he added string to so it didn't blow away.

Standing on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the sea, Luffy admired the view. A small smile showed on his face, as he stared out at the vast water. "Its almost time huh?" he asked himself.

Looking over his shoulder, "It's almost time to leave" He reiterated, amending his last words, to no one in particular.

For the moment, Luffy sat down on the cliff. His thoughts were on the past four years of his training. He was happy with his progress, but not just in the physical aspect. The seventeen year old had gained immense control over his devil fruit abilities, while also strengthening his haki. If he were to gauge were he stood, he could take on an admiral, but he'd be completely useless afterwards.

'Nothing another six months of training couldn't fix though, right?' he thought.

Turing, he wandered back to the clearing to gaze upon the ship that was nearing completion. A week at most he guessed. After all they were merely doing aesthetics at this point.

The next day everyone would help move the ship to a nearby cove he found. He figured it'd be easier to set sail from there on the day he planned to leave. Makino and a few other were painting it a nice shade of blue in places.

The ship was massive. It had five levels, including the deck, fifty-two cannons and three masts. It was a true master piece.

The first level, the deck, held the three masts. Two massive wooden pillars made up the front and middle masts with a smaller one behind the helm, above the Captain's quarters with stairs on either side to actually reach the ships helm.

The Captain's quartes was rather large, stretching the width of the ship. The room spanned twenty feet in length, from the stern to the deck. The room's height, from the floor to the ceiling was twelve foot. An area to the left and right under the stairs, were more stairs that lead to the other levels below deck.

Just below deck, the second level, was the crews resting area. At the rear was the first and second mates special quarters.

The private quarters were large rooms, only dwarfed by the Captain's, situated at the rear of the ship. There was two feet of space between them for a cannon. Each room had brand new beds, a bathroom, and a wardrobe to put any personal belongings and clothes in.

On the opposite end were the women's cabins. The rooms were much like the first and second mates only much smaller. They also had hammocks instead of beds. Also like with the first and second mates living quarters, there was a two foot spacing between the rooms for a single cannon to occupy.

In between the women's cabins and the mates quarters, there were rows and rows of stacked hammocks totalling around eighty. This area was split into sectors. Each sector held eight hammocks stacked in two lines of four. Each sector was numbered and had their own set of necessities such as a small bathroom and an area to store clothes and personal items.

Overall there was ten sectors. Ten cannons were placed on each side of the deck and strapped down with chains. In total there were twenty-two cannons setup just below the upper deck.

Further below deck, the third level of the ship, held the galley and the kitchen. The kitchen had a place for food storage in the back. With the addition of a training room.

The layout of the level was simple. In the area behind the kitchen was where they'd have their food storage that could hold up to six months supply. The kitchen itself was a simple, yet elegant, design with everything a small crew of chef's could dream of.

Just outside where the food would be prepared was a bar and dining area. The room was comfortably accommodated with twenty-one tables. Twenty of which could hold up to four people each.

The last table was larger and could seat around twelve people. This table was for Luffy and the eleven people he'd trust the most. They'd come to be known as the core members.

A row of ten cannons, lining both the port and starboard sides, were chained to the deck so they didn't roll. A wall separated the cannons from the dining area. In total his deck had twenty cannons.

Below the third deck, level four, held the sickbay at the bow of the ship. At the stern of the ship was a vault like storage room, almost as big as the CQ if not slightly bigger, for the spoils of their journey.

The armoury, which was about as big as the first and second mates quarters, was built next to the vault storage. However they left a five foot wide hallway next to the armoury to reach the 'tresure room'.

The armoury held all the weapons they would need to fight, as well as a small munitions storage. Five cannons lined either side totalling to the last ten cannons.

The final deck, or level five, held a navigation room towards the bow of the ship. The room had sea charts, compases, log poses including eternal poses and anything else a navigator would need.

Towards the stern of the ship held two different rooms, only slightly bigger than first and second mates cabins. In one room, it was full of crates loaded with the heavier munitions. The second was a workshop, that it was decidedly better to hold the gunpowder in.

Finally the brig, which lined the port side wall, was made of seastone. It was designed too have three cells, each being able to hold twenty people comfortably.

Luffy was quickly brought out of his small moment of admiration for the ship. The reason being, he sensed Makino walking towards him, who was smiling and waving. As she got next to him she stopped, looked at the teen, and asked curiously, "How long do you think before it's ready to sail?"

With his gaze on the ship, he took in Makino's question and closed his eyes in thought. After thinking everything over, the ship was complete in the structural sense.

With that in mind he turned to the woman with a smile and answered, "All that's left to do are some light touch up, furnishing the Captain's quarters, and giving it a name," he paused briefly to calculate an estimate. "I'd say a week, give or take a couple of days."

Makino nodded in acceptance to his answer. Looking towards the ship, she felt proud. Her and Luffy spent five years working to build it, however it wasn't complete yet. Then, with a smile, she went back to working on it. Luffy wasn't far behind her feeling just as proud.

(A week later)

As the week passed, the ships finishing touches had gone smoothly. The CQ was furbished with a desk, a wardrobe twice the size of his first mates, and a bed big enough for three plus himself.

The sails were properly secured and raised. The hull had been sanded and painted oak brown, giving it a natural look. Luffy decided to line the hull with seastone, and giving it the name 'Ocean's Freedom' which Makino agreed saying she liked it.

Staring at the Ocean's Freedom for a moment longer, with a proud smile, he turned and walked to the village.

When he got to the small town, he could hear the celebration from the bar. As Luffy walked in, he noticed everyone from the village was present. They raised their mugs in a toast to the completion of the ship and Luffy's departure for the next day.

The celebration carried late into the night, most reminiscing about the troublesome trio. Luffy and Makino sat back and listened for awhile, but they did need to talk. As the evening passed, the citizens slowly dwindled until it was just the two of them.

"Ah finally finished." Luffy said while leaning against the bar with a bottle of rum in his hands. "That was an exhausting few years."

Makino nodded her head beside him agreeing. Despite having her own drink she started cleaning the bar, unknowingly for the last time. Looking at the teen she began to speak, "Captain, when do we leave?"

"In the morning," he stated before taking a swig of rum. Then, with a devious smile, he said, "Besides, the sooner we set sail, the sooner you can see Shanks again."

Makino lit up a bright red in embarrassment, even dropping her drink to cover her face. Luffy just bust out laughing as he found a new hobby in teasing his older sister figure.

(The next morning)

In the back of Party's Bar, was a resting area. It was setup like a small apartment. The first room was the living room area with a small couch, a chair and a small table. It was connected to the kitchen which had all the essentials.

Moving further in there was a small bathroom, just big enough for a bathtub and toilet. The only other room in the place was an average size bedroom.

While it was still early in the morning you could hear rustling from behind the closed door. Inside the room was Makino, with a bag on the bed she was gathering her belongings.

In the living room, Luffy could be found quietly snoring in a peaceful slumber. He was most likely dreaming about his own adventures to the Grandline, and meat.

That soon changed as he bolted straight up, like it was habit. Who could blame him though after spending five years at sea, and his training. Getting up and slipping his sandals on he walked outside for some light training.

Two and a half hours later Luffy had finished his work-out and was now standing at the docks. Looking out over the sea, he let a smile play on his lips as he thought about the adventures he'd soon have.

He recalled the conversation he had with Makino before turning in last night. They had agreed on needing core crew members and underlings. The core members would be the power houses, capable of taking down Marine captains at the least. Outside the core members, would be the underlings to man the ship. They'd be run of the mill pirates, capable of taking on the brunt of foot soldiers the Marines had.

While in the midst of the memory, he gazed out at the sea. His thoughts turning to his coming adventures. When he suddenly spotted something on the horizon, he grabbed his spy glass and saw it.

A group of Marine ships were on the horizon. He had seen this once before on his adventures, but hoped he was seeing things. His mind couldn't be helped but be bombarded with questions like, 'Why now?', 'Who ordered it?' and 'For what reason?'

To make sure he wasn't hallucinating, he began to count how many Navy ships were present. Luffy noted the fleet wasn't an ordinary patrol party. He scanned over each ship and realized they were war ships, ten of them to be exact.

As he continued to look through the ships, Luffy stopped on the central ship. It seemed to be the one leading the charge and notably larger than the rest.

His vision was assualted, he visage changed from calm to furious. The man he caught sight of was Admiral Akainu, a man he held a deep hatred for.

Gazing at the man's face, with his emotion written on his face, he witnessed the Admiral smirk. It was like Akainu knew he was watching, which didn't help as his grip on the scope tightened to the point it snapped in half.

Dropping the worthless equipment, his eyes shadowed by the straw hat he was gifted. He realized what had happened. Someone at the top had ordered a buster call.

The pieces, like a puzzle, began to fit together. The Marines somehow found out about his heritage. Adding onto that they learned of his apprenticeship under Red Haired Shanks, but how was still the mystery.

After putting the pieces together he completely understood. The Navy wanted to cut him down, as if he were a disease among the world.

When reality finally sank back in, he turned towards the village using shave to get there faster. The young man had a good idea where everyone would be. That saved him the trouble, he could warn most everyone at once. Luck, however, wasn't on his side as the Marines had already began to open fire.

As Luffy made it to the bar, an explosion was heard from the beach. Cursing under his breath, he slammed the doors open. He quickly scanned the room for Makino, then shouted "MAYOR!"

The man in question stood up and looked at the seventeen year old. The panic was clear in his tone as he reaised his own voice a little and asked, "Luffy what the hell is going on!?"

"The marines," Luffy paused as his memories of that time resurfaced yet again, "they buster called the island!"

Woop froze with trepidation. Luffy had informed everyone about buster calls, and what it entailed. After a moment the mayor recomposed himself and questioned the teen, "What do we do?"

"Save as many as possible. Those bastards will reach land soon," Luffy answered with a blunt seriousness. He then closed his eyes and with a sigh of resignation he continued, "I'll hold them off while you and Makino get as many people to my ship in the cove safely."

"What?! Luffy No!" Makino shouted in protest at his absurd plan.

"Makino!" he responded, his tone elevated conveying that this wasn't up for discussion. He hated using that tone with her but he had no choice.

Everyone stopped in shock. The fact Luffy had raised his voice at Makino of all people, was stunning. This gave the teen time to drop a bomb of sorts, "They have an admiral."

Time itself seemed to stop at that point. They knew the only person who stood a chance against an Admiral was Luffy.

Begrudgingly nodding, with obvious signs of worry, Makino led them to the ship. Woop was at her side, trying and succeeding slightly in calming the people.

The citizens were murmuring, not so quietly, about how the Marines were hypocrites. Woop just rubbed his temple's and whispered to himself, "I always complained about pirates. Maybe I should have been complaining about corrupt Marines instead."

Reviews

sudhush: your review on chapter two...please do remember he trained under Red Haired Shanks. Now I'm not saying his style is going to be primarily sword fighting, but this does open more opportunity for Luffy to train his core crew members up to snuff.

VoyagersUnite: I haven't really decided on if there will be lemons or not. If I do decide to write lemons, I doubt it'll be in the main story. Also I will inform the readers if I do write them, but absolutely no promises.

Guest 1&2: I'm not sure if I'll add Dadan yet, only because Luffy did travel with Shanks for five years in this story. As for Chouchou, it's kind of difficult to forget the little fella. As for adding him to the crew, I'm uncertain about that at this time.


	5. Buster Call? Here Come the Marines!

Chapter 5: Buster Call!? Here Come the Marines!

Rising Tides

"Talking"

 **Attacks**

 _'Thinking'_

I don't own One Piece

Previously:

Begrudgingly nodding, with obvious signs of worry, Makino led them to the ship. Woop was at her side, trying and succeeding slightly in calming the people.

The citizens were murmuring, not so quietly, about how the Marines were hypocrites. Woop just rubbed his temple's and whispered to himself, "I always complained about pirates. Maybe I should have been complaining about corrupt Marines instead."

The villagers trekked behind the mayor and Makino through the woods towards their destination. You could hear crying children who were being held by their parents, except those unfortunate few. The adults were shouting curses at the Navy, that none found killing innocent people to be acceptable.

The further they ventured into the woods, the noise of the explosion died down a little. They didn't know if it was how far away they were or if Luffy had done something, but they weren't going to turn back and find out.

Luffy watched as the villagers left and sighed in relief when they were out of sight. Turning to the coast with a serious expression, he rushed to the shores as more explosions went off around him.

He knew a wave of Navy soldiers were going to rush the island. They'd have swords drawn, and he was going to be there to greet them.

Sure enough as soon as he reached the beach, the Marines were jumping out of life rafts. Luffy observed the first group to reach land and estimated that there was about a hundred no talent soldiers. With a devious grin, as if from thin air, a sword made of water the size of a normal katana was being held in his right hand.

The sight of swords appearing in his hand caused them some fear. With a devious smirk, Luffy charged forward using a quick burst of shave.

He quick reached a group of five marines, that we dispatched easily. His Observation Haki then practically yelled at him. A warning of a Marine attacking from his blind spot.

Spinning on his heel he raised the water blade and blocked the downwards slash aimed at him. Pushing him off, he then stabbed the Navy soldier and turned again. This time Luffy blocked multiple slashes and stab attempts that the Marines were throwing at him.

This sequence of slashing, blocking, and stabbing continued for a while. It was a boring exchange as he was facing no name, no talent weaklings.

His haki then picked up on the presence of a more powerful opponent dropping towards him quickly. Thinking fast he rolled out of the way as a Captain crashed where he had been previously standing.

"You guys keep appearing like flies!" the young teen stated with a hint of annoyance.

"And you keep cutting us down like were cattle." The man who answered appeared middle aged and had slightly tanned skin. He was rather bulky and held an elegant katana in his hands. He held the blade in front of him in a battle ready stance.

Seeing the stance he was in Luffy readied himself to counter the newest marine. He was still curious of who the swordman was so he asked, "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

As the two circled each other, the Marine answered in a 'holier than thou' tone, "It is all in the name of justice. As for my name why should I tell someone about to die?"

Luffy faltered in his step at the term justice. Seeing an opportunity the Captain took it without hesitation.

As the two clashed, it appeared to be a stalemate as their blades locked. However neither would give as they pushed against each other for dominance.

"Justice..." the teen mumbled barely audible. As he continued though his voice picked up to a shout, "JUSTICE! You call this justice?!"

The rage Luffy felt for the man in front of him was tremendous, as he won the battle of dominance and shoved the Marine back. Gathering water from the ocean and from the air around him, he created water clones to fight of the fodder once more.

He was holding the line to give the villagers more time to escape. Luffy took the offensive this time running at the Marine he crossed his swords and gathered his power.

" **Water sword style: Water helix** ," Luffy nearly shouted as he crossed back and forth in front of the marine. His water swords now pointed towards the ground, he stopped a metre behind the Captain crouched. A helix pattern on the ground signifying the move was successful. The Captain fell back dead with a large X on his torso where his body met the attack.

Luffy snorted, "Looks like you failed."

After defeating the captain, he decided to join the clones in the ongoing battle against the Marines. A battle they were winning, for now.

Jumping in he joined the fray of flying fists, swords, firing guns and water attacks. A good attribute to these clones, he basically had his own army at his disposal. The downfall, it took a toll on his Devil Fruit power over exteded periods of time.

As the marines thinned out and retreated, Luffy released the clones and started to head back to the ship. The fighting had gone on for a good hour. Enough time for the villagers to be on board. Agreeing with himself he turned and ran to the ship.

When he arrived, the sight that geeted him was unnerving. Standing between the ship and the villagers was none other than Akainu. He was staring at the ship, as a platoon of Marines stood around a scared group of villagers who had a injured Makino with them. They were poised for the kill, just waiting for the order.

Creating four clones he silently instructed them to attack the Marine platoon, while he went for the Admiral. Caught off guard by the clones, the Marines were easily cut down. All the while they tried to fruitlessly reform their lines.

As this happened Luffy stood before a rather angry looking Admiral, "So we meet again Pirate scum. You sure have grown from that small child I saw six years ago."

"And you're the exact same Admiral with a stick up his ass I met last time." He replied while repressing memories from 'that' day.

Seeing his inner conflict Akainu smirked, "Still having nightmare about that day?"

Luffy eyes narrowed. 'So you want to play that game do you?' he thought before openly responding, "Only about that face you made when I hit you where it hurts." He smirked in reply. 'Two can play at that game.'

At the last statement, Akainu became enraged and charged Luffy with a fist cocked back aimed at his head. Ducking under the fist, Luffy rolled away from him and reformed his swords made of water. He then pointed them at the Admiral, who was shocked at the speed that Luffy moved.

Turning, Akainu changed his right arm into magma using his logia. The teen dissipated a sword and covered that fist in cold water.

As they charged each other, their fist met in an explosion of power. The shockwave sent people flying in every direction. The elements, of the logia users, fought for dominance as the ground cracked underneath the two.

Another explosion erupted in the epicentre of the attack. The force behind it sent both combatants flying away from each other.

However, catching himself, Luffy flipped to his feet. As Akainu was getting up, Luffy yelled out, " **Water Water: Bullet** ," while throwing his fist towards his opponent. A ball of water flew from his fist and sped towards the Admiral at the speed of a bullet. This caught the Navy officer off guard and launched him into the woods behind him.

Luffy, seeing his attack's limited success, ran towards the villagers and got them moving towards the ship once more.

"Come on move, MOVE!" He started shoving the villagers to get them moving quicker. He picked Makino up and ran with them. Luffy decided to let his clones mop up the rest of the marines while he evacuated everyone.

Reaching the cove he boarded his ship quickly and used his powers over water. Taking a meditative position to concentrate, he moved the ship from the cove out into open water.

Sensing something to his left, he knew they weren't out of harms way yet. Turning he was met with the sight of a small fleet aiming towards them. Closing his eyes tighter, he yelled, "Water Water: Encirclement," as a dome of water erupted from the sea and covered the Oceans Freedom. The current moving all attacks safely away, protecting all the passengers and the ship.

Using his powers once more he directed the ship into the sea with the dome providing an air pocket. They were safe, finally.

It was mostly silent aboard the ship, apart from the heavy breathing and crying of the civilians. Looking over, the captain could see a few people attending to the wounded.

Luffy, finally exhausted, collapsed from the extensive use of his powers. Moving a boat with this much weight was costly, not to mention the exertion while fighting the Marines. Leaning against his quarters, he decided he earned himself some rest.

With his eyes closed, and in a raspy hoarse voice Luffy asked a simple question, "How many?"

Woop began counting the heads of the people on deck, before answering, "There are thirty-seven here, so that's at least fifty we lost."

His reply was met with many dejected sighs and gasp, not that he could blame them. He released a sad sigh himself with his head down.

"…" Luffy couldn't even respond. His eyes were then covered by the straw hat he now donned. Everyone could easily see he blamed himself.

"Why did they attack us?" A small girl asked walking up to Luffy, tears in her eyes.

'She must have lost her parents,' Luffy thought. Bringing the child into his arms he hugged her. The girl welcomed the gesture and cried into his chest. Tears stained his t-shirt but he didn't care. "I have a few theories." Luffy said after the girl had calmed down a little. The girl was roughly 4 and had long black hair and emerald green eyes.

This caught the attention of the others aboard. "Well?" asked a man at the back.

"My most sensible one would be because of me," he answered. This confused a lot of people.

"What do you mean because of you?" Makino questioned as she had just woke up to hear his answer.

"I think that the World Government has learned who my father is, not to mention my apprenticeship under Shanks," Luffy replied. "They must have thought that I would prove to be trouble in the future. Instead of wasting resources later they wanted to be rid of me now."

"Whose your dad Luffy-nii?" The girl in his arms asked. Luffy tensed at both the question and the name the girl had given him.

Sighing he prepared for the worst. "Monkey D. Dragon, The most wanted criminal in the world."

He heard a multiple sharp intakes of air and lowered his hat further over his eyes. "I don't care who he is Lu-nii, you protected us while we were running and even risked your life battling the big man who wanted to hurt us so we could make it to the big boat." The girl smiled up at him.

To his surprise he heard many murmurs of agreement. He lifted his head slightly to see the smiling faces of the surviving villagers.

"Why attack us though? Why not just go after you when you were at sea? No offence," Woop wondered aloud.

"I don't know honestly, but my best guess is the corruption in the WG. Ordering a buster means an extermination force, not an attack force. Innocent or not, I'm sure they meant to have all life on Dawn Island wiped out." the teen stated solemnly.

"What are we going to do, we can't live on this ship forever?" a women near the front asked.

"I can drop off at the nearest town if you want." the captain offered.

"I think that would be for the best Luffy." Woop replied, nodding his acceptance.

"Alright I'll bring us up in a couple of hours, everyone get some sleep."

Creating clone he sent it downstairs to retrieve pillows and blankets. People thanked him as they laid down to get some rest. Soon it was just Luffy and the girl in his arms who was still sniffing.

"So whats you name?" Luffy asked soothingly.

"Maya" The girl replied.

"Maya huh? Nice name. Where are your parents?" He asked kindly.

"Dead, they were in the house when the bad guys started shooting at us. The house went boom first so I don't know if they are alive." She said as a new round of tears started.

'So I was right,' he thought as he held her to his chest once more and rocked back and forth attempting to calm the crying child in his arms. "Why did you come to me though?"

"You looked lonely on your own over here Lu-nii, and you saved us so I know you could protect me like a brother would," She smiled brightly, even through her tears, up at Luffy who smiled back down at her.

'She almost reminds me of…no I can't think about that, I told myself to forget about that…' Luffy grimaced as he tried to forget. However it just kept appearing in his mind. "Come on let's get some sleep, you must be tired."

Maya slowly nodded, signs of her fatigue setting in. She shifted into a comfortable position on Luffy and fell asleep almost instantly.

Sighing Luffy got comfortable while thinking, 'May as well get some sleep. It's going to be a long couple of days.' With that final thought he dozed off into a peaceful slumber.

Reviews:

To all the reviewers who wished for a quick recovery, thank you

Negima Uzumaki: I hope this chapter answered your question. If not leave another review and I'll give the best answer I can.

ArtemisxHolly: no fear of Sanji x Nami, as I'd sooner ship Sanji x Nojiko because I believe she along with a mere handful of others could actually keep Sanji in check.

RinneSage726: you're right it really doesn't. Eventaully I plan to go through and begin editing as I'm writing new chapters but I'm not sure when I'll start that, so as things come together more reasonably.

A/N:

Rant time:

First...I've recently read some Luffy x Vivi stories, and while not bad or displeasing content. The length does bother me as most of the good ones are just one shots. I mean seriously I wanna pull my hair out as Luffy x Vivi is literally my second favorite Luffy pairing, and yes people can hate on me for that. I might have to fix that though by writing my own story with this pairing.

Second, more or less a rant, I want opinions from people about another story project idea I have. If anyone is interested in a brief summary, possible pairings, etc. leave a review on it. If you'd like to add your own suggestions/inputs, feel free to pm me. I wouldn't be here without you guys anyway, so thanks to everyone.


	6. Author Acknowledgement

I have to apologize for the extreme wait on even an update. I've been dealing with some personal things in life, which effects my writing. For not even saying something sooner I'm, sincerely from the bottom of my heart, sorry.

I do intend to continue, but I don't want to put out low, or even mediocre, quality writing. I'm rather OCD about my writing and I prefer to put my all into each and every chapter and not be half-assed about it. Call it a pet peeve if you will.

I'm also thankful for all the reviews, asking me to continue. Again I have to apologize for the delayed update, and I will try to have the next chapter up ASAP. I'm also going to try to branch out and write about other series/shows like Fairy Tail, Bleach, DBZ/S, BNHA/MHA or maybe even ATLA.

Until the next chapter of: "Rising Tides". A story not forgotten.

Warrior out for now.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm not going to say I'm back for this story, at least not completely yet. As I've read through the reviews and noted that there are flaws that need to be worked out. That will take some time to edit out and update the chapters. On top of that I'm working on an original story idea that came to last night that I am making priority at this time.

The most I will say about this new story is...it is a Time Travel fic. I won't guarantee it follows Canon one hundred percent, but it will for the most part (if that makes any sense). By that I mean there will be changes to certain characters. I will try to have chapter one, the prologue, of story up ASAP.

As always, thanks to my readers and reviewers for following my story. Not to mention you patience and understanding of personal matters.


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